February 17, 2020, As I was passing through Sanpada, I was in the mood for some test driving. I passed by the Toyota Showroom, for some reason I was never a fan of Toyota. I was never really inspired by their design element. Most people who brought a Toyota always brought them for mainly one purpose that they have great resale value. At least this was my thinking growing up. I just felt Toyota's were brought only for sole intention to be sold later without having to lose much to value depreciation. Toyota cars were quite renowned to be good for their resale value, unlike their counterparts. I guess I was naive in my thinking but people brought Toyota's for other reasons also since they were built to last, reliable customer service, & low cost to maintains them. As Petrol prices skyrocketed people started preferring cars which were more economical and affordable. Toyota became a brand sought after by many customers across the globe.
2019 Toyota Fortuner indeed has gone the extra mile when it comes to the design. Its presence can be definitely felt on the road. You will never mistake a Fortuner for any other vehicle once you have seen it.
Toyota logo symbolized three ovals which are combined in a horizontally symmetrical configuration. The two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represent the heart of the customer and the heart of the company. They are overlapped to represent a mutually beneficial relationship and trust between each other.
So like I said earlier, Toyota stood for the relationship between the heart of the customer and heart of the company. Toyota Fortuner which is also known as Toyota SW4 was launched in India around 2009 and was only sold in one trim which was 3.0 L 1KD-FTV I4 Common Rail Turbo Diesel engine 4×4 MT, with leather upholstery and climatronic as standard. In 2019 Fortuner has become the top-selling SUV India selling around 1500 units monthly.
As I stepped into the Wasan Toyota showroom, I was greeted by a pleasant service desk representative who showed me around the car and finally got the opportunity to test drive the Fortuner. 2019 Fortuner has got chunkier and wider compared to its older siblings, also more luxurious. With all the new BS6 variants, this SUV just got a whole lot expensive.
My first impression of this massive SUV was that it is quite tall and making it initially difficult for short drivers to get on board. Once onboard the road presence is also quite massive. While seated on the driver seat I felt I was seated on top of "Camel" I literally felt I was on top of the world and cars like the Hyundai Santro, Maruti Wagon R felt like mere ants in front of this enormous giant. I feel right now in the Indian market two vehicles which I have driven give some kind of road presence has to be the Ford Endeavour which comes with a massive 3.2 Litre engine which I felt is nothing short of a tank.
Once seated on the mighty horse. Starting this SUV was not a problem as it comes with all the bells and whistles as expected in the latest update. As I started the vehicle and progressed on the road, I did feel all mighty and powerful at the same time I had to be careful cause unknowingly I felt I might squish something along the way. It Comes 2755 cc engine which churns out a power of 177PS@3400rpm and torque of 450Nm@1600-2400rpm. Sometimes you might be wondering this beast might be gas guzzler but it is not to bad on diesel 12.55 km/litre on the city and 12.9 km/litre on the highway.
Interiors of the cars good in fact the quality of plastic used were exemplary. To an extent, it does make you feel like your sitting in an SUV. Unlike other vehicles that I have tested, they try to emulate the feel of a sedan. I have mixed opinions on this fact. SUV should be standoff as an SUV. But these days on contrary car manufacturers have gone above and beyond to provide the same luxury which is available on sedans. Initially, the intent of an SUV was to cross through difficult terrains that conventional cars could not achieve.
2020 Fortuner BS 6 Variant will come at a whopping price tag from 28 lakhs to 34 lakhs ( on-road). Nevertheless, with such huge price tag consumers who are in the market for an SUV will prefer for Toyota Fortuner due to its reliability, low maintenance costs, and customer service
I take this opportunity to thank the people at Wasan Toyota in providing this opportunity to test drive the 2019 Fortuner Diesel variant. I would love to do an in-depth study of this vehicle.
Courtesy - Wasan Toyota
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